Overweight mom equals overweight kids? Doctors in England are trying to figure out why women who are overweight tend to have overweight children. They have found that there is no metabolic programming in young children - so moms are not passing that down directly to their kids.

They studied thousands of families in 1991-1992, and their conclusion was that if children are obese, it is more likely that the mother is obese than the father. Doctors, being unable to conclude that it is metabolic driven, are considering whether other factors could impact. Her are my thoughts - what about obese mothers passing unhealthy eating habits to their children? Arguably, moms are more “in charge” of food than dads are, and they tend to be around children more hours during the day to teach them unhealthy snacking habits, etc. I wonder…

1 in 4 teen girls has an STD. Shocking. No parents wants to think this is accurate (especially myself with a 12 year old knocking on the door of puberty!) But that is what it is. So, to me, it is time to face reality and not keep our parental heads buried in the sand to what is going on in teens’ lives.

I know that sex education — and how to raise your child in general — is an individual thing, but many parents are relying on sex-ed to teach their children. These programs are not effective. So please take your child’s sexual learning into your own hands and ensure they are well informed about not only what is happening to their bodies, but to their emotions and mind as well. And please don’t skip the chapter on condoms and safe sex. Now is a good time to get them to regular checkups, even if they are not sexually active- it is a good safe habit to start. Don’t let your child be one of the 25%.

Tiny reader! I saw this and it really amazed me. A 17 month old girl who can read. Actually read and not memorize/mimic. It appears she has a gift, and mom and dad have been good at stimulating her and helping to develop this. Wow!